Key Spring Quotes From Michigan Players On New-Look Offensive Staff

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh made drastic changes to his coaching staff this offseason. While the moves were primarily made on the defensive side of the ball, Harbaugh brought in two coaches on offense — running backs coach Mike Hart and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss — and he also moved Jay Harbaugh from running backs to tight ends and Sherrone Moore from tight ends to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line.

Below, we examine key spring quotes from Michigan players about the Michigan staff's new look on offense, the energy they've brought and more.

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• Freshman running back Blake Corum: "It's been an awesome experience so far. Coach Mike Hart, he brings a spice to the table, not only on the field, but in the classroom. He teaches us some things that he did as a player. And he also brings some new drills to the field that we've been working on and stuff. So it's been pretty good.

"He just brings some oomph. Drills we do on the field, different types of cutting drills, different drills we didn’t do last year and I haven’t done as a running back over my short career. That’s what I mean by spice.

"Just looking at old running backs, I’ve been watching his film. I’ve been trying to learn from him, pick him apart, look at the moves he used to do when he played and just the way he attacked each and every game. I've definitely been watching him.

"I think Coach Mike Hart can help anybody, not just of my stature — the bigger guys, the little guys, it doesn’t really matter, just because of what he brings to the table and how good he was as a running back. But I definitely enjoy having a coach similar to my ability coach me, just because he can see what I can see on the field. I do like it."

• Redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins: "Working with him is a blessing. He’s one of the greatest, so every day I talk to him, I talk to him like he’s a legend. I’m glad he came here and I get a chance to work with him.

"Mike Hart, he understands the scheme and the X’s and O’s. He just understands the running back, because he was one. He sees the vision, eye to eye.

"Everything he tells me, I keep that in the back of my head and try to get better or whatever we’re talking about, try to keep that in my head."

• Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Hayes: "This spring has been great for the offensive line. We have a lot of confidence right now. Coach Moore, he’s brought that sense of juice to the room. People are playing with confidence. They’re not really scared to make mistakes and stuff.

"So it’s been really good for the offensive line, I think, with Coach Moore around. He just brings confidence, and you really just want to go to war for the guy, honestly. When he talks, people listen. He brings a different sort of energy.

[At one point in the spring], we had not our best period, and after, he just brought us aside. The moment was pretty intense. He was just talking about how he’s going to give us our all this season, he always gives it his all for us. Everybody was listening, and it was a powerful moment where you just knew this guy cares about us, loves us and will do anything for us."

• Freshman offensive lineman Zak Zinter: [Warinner and Moore are] both great coaches. It’s fun to learn from someone new in Coach Moore, who played the position at Oklahoma. He brings the energy at practice, and I love learning from him so far.

"He’s definitely brought a new energy to the offensive line. The passion that he has for the game ... he wants us to get better every single day. He puts everything he’s got into it, and it really shows to us as players the passion and the emotion that he brings to practice — and it’s been awesome."

• Redshirt junior offensive lineman Andrew Stueber: “Coach [Josh] Gattis is still the coordinator, so the run game hasn’t changed too much. Coach Moore’s style is more personable and interactive though. He’s asking questions individually and allows discussion, asking us what we think.

“It’s easier to get discussions flowing that way. As an older guy, I appreciate being able to speak my mind and give input.”

• Ryan Hayes: "Everybody’s out here, we know what we’re doing, we know the goals we have and we’re just going for it. We’re going to work hard every day, bring that juice and let’s go. You just feel it when you walk in the building. It’s hard to explain, it’s just a different vibe. When you come in here, it’s brighter; everybody wants to work or wants to get better. It’s just good, a good deal."

• Sophomore wide receiver Mike Sainristil: "You can feel the positive energy, the good vibes when you walk into the building. Practice is very fun. Our coaches have done a great job of making practice fun, I’d say. Pre-practice, we have music going, and then during practice there’s just juice flying all around. Guys are out there, yelling, laughing, smiles on everybody’s faces. Practice has been really good with the energy we’ve had.

"I’d just say, to the younger culture, music just really gets us going. And before practice, just having the music out there. And then, there’s another period during practice where we play music as well. It just brings you to your comfort zone, I feel like, just having that music, you can go out there and just be energized the whole time."

• Hassan Haskins: "It’s definitely a different vibe. I feel like this year, everybody on the team just amped their game up and amped the energy up during practice or anything really. It’s definitely a different vibe in the building, and we can all feel it as a team, as a staff.

"I’m not sure, I don’t know [where it's exactly coming from]. It’s just something you just feel. As soon as you walk in the building, you’re happy to be there, happy to be around each other. The energy is up."

• Ronnie Bell: "It’s pretty cool now, when we’re not just with the receivers but being with the quarterbacks, as an offense. I feel like we do more together than we have in the past from a standpoint of going to practice or what not.

"When we’re in film and stuff, it’s more of overall offensive stuff, and everybody’s involved in it, not just ‘you guys go over there and talk about this, and you guys go over there and talk about this.’ We all just talk about everything together, and it’s kinda cool.

"I think that was something that was probably discussed and changed, because it’s something I’ve noticed, 100 percent."

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